The present disclosure relates to electromagnetic communication and sensing systems, and more particularly to a method and system for radio communications and sensing using a single antenna aperture.
Currently, various electromagnetic devices are available based on the specific use desired. For example, two-way radio communication devices have been utilized on vehicles to communicate with other vehicles or a fixed base station. These communication devices may use a specific antenna aperture to transmit and receive data. This aperture is designed such that the communication device is the only device that could use the aperture for communications.
Another example of an electromagnetic device includes a radar system that uses an antenna to detect objects within a certain proximity of the antenna. The antenna of this radar must have an antenna aperture that is used only by the radar. There is no known system that combines communications devices and radar devices because both devices require a separate antenna aperture, different electronics, different operational frequencies and different inputs. As such, systems that need to use both communication and radar capabilities have to have two separate devices with separate electronics and separate antennas. Having to employ separate devices for these functionalities is expensive and results in added weight due to having to employ multiple devices, which may be undesirable for systems where weight should be minimized, such as aerospace vehicles, terrestrial vehicles, planetary rovers and the like.